SINGAPORE - Five MPs overseeing different parts of Sengkang have formed a new committee that will see to the development of the town and address the needs of residents there.
The new Sengkang Town Development Committee, chaired by Senior Minister of State for Transport and Health Lam Pin Min, will focus on areas including childcare and educational institutions, public transportation and active mobility, as well as town council and environmental issues for a start.
These are issues that affect the town's 230,000 or so residents, many of them young families.
Announcing the committee's formation on Saturday (July 7), Dr Lam, who is MP for Sengkang West, said: "The growth of the population within Sengkang as well as the infrastructure development have been taking place very fast... by coming together, the advisers can better plan for the development as well as organise activities that can cater to the needs of all the Sengkang residents."
The other MPs in the committee are: vice-chairman Charles Chong of Punggol East; Mr Teo Ser Luck of Pasir Ris-Punggol GRC; and Dr Intan Azura Mokhtar and Mr Gan Thiam Poh, who are both from Ang Mo Kio GRC.
Guiding the committee as its adviser will be Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, who has been mentoring the MPs in their work.
Where to locate childcare centres is one area the committee can work on together, Dr Lam said, since ensuring adequate childcare services is an issue of concern for residents across the town.
He was speaking to reporters after a groundbreaking event for a new community hub in his constituency, which Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong also attended.
The community hub is set to open in Sengkang West in 2020, and will bring a community club, childcare centre, hawker centre and wet market under one roof.
It is among the latest of integrated community facilities to be announced, following Heartbeat@Bedok's launch in February.
To be built next to Seletar Mall and Fernvale LRT station, the Sengkang hub - spanning approximately 6,900 sq m - will also have classes for residents and a gym, said Dr Lam.
"Over the years, the population of Sengkang West has grown to about 70,000," he added. "With the population expected to increase over the next few years, a new community club is therefore needed to cater to the needs of residents, especially those living in Fernvale estate."
Anchorvale resident Desmond Leow, 44, said he looks forward to having more sports facilities nearby with the integrated hub. He also hopes there will be more activities for the elderly, such as his parents.
The father of three, who works in sales, added that he is most concerned about the issue of educational institutions, among the areas that the new committee will look into.
"Sengkang is a relatively new town, so there are a lot of young couples and children. The demand for childcare facilities and primary school places will also be higher than for mature estates," he said.
While he has not faced such problems, he added that he hopes this will not be an issue in the future.
